Patients with intraparenchymal bleeds have symptoms that correspond to the functions controlled by the area of the brain that is damaged by the bleed. Other symptoms include those that indicate a rise in intracranial pressure caused by a large mass putting pressure on the brain.

Intracerebral hemorrhages are often misdiagnosed as subarachnoid hemorrhages due to the similarity in symptoms and signs. A severe headache followed by vomiting is one of the more common symptoms of intracerebral hemorrhage. Another common symptom is a patient can collapse. Some people may experience continuous bleeding from the ear. Some patients may also go into a coma before the bleed is noticed.

Clinical manifestations of intraparenchymal hemorrhage are determined by the size and location of hemorrhage, but may include the following:

- Hypertension, fever, or cardiac arrhythmias

- Nuchal rigidity

- Subhyaloid retinal hemorrhages

- Altered level of consciousness

- Anisocoria, Nystagmus

- Focal neurological deficits

- Putamen - Contralateral hemiparesis, contralateral sensory loss, contralateral conjugate gaze paresis, homonymous hemianopsia, aphasia, neglect, or apraxia

- Thalamus - Contralateral sensory loss, contralateral hemiparesis, gaze paresis, homonymous hemianopia, miosis, aphasia, or confusion

- Lobar - Contralateral hemiparesis or sensory loss, contralateral conjugate gaze paresis, homonymous hemianopia, abulia, aphasia, neglect, or apraxia

- Caudate nucleus - Contralateral hemiparesis, contralateral conjugate gaze paresis, or confusion

- Brain stem - Tetraparesis, facial weakness, decreased level of consciousness, gaze paresis, ocular bobbing, miosis, or autonomic instability

- Cerebellum - Ataxia, usually beginning in the trunk, ipsilateral facial weakness, ipsilateral sensory loss, gaze paresis, skew deviation, miosis, or decreased level of consciousness

The classic symptom of subarachnoid hemorrhage is thunderclap headache (a headache described as "like being kicked in the head", or the "worst ever", developing over seconds to minutes). This headache often pulsates towards the occiput (the back of the head). About one-third of people have no symptoms apart from the characteristic headache, and about one in ten people who seek medical care with this symptom are later diagnosed with a subarachnoid hemorrhage. Vomiting may be present, and 1 in 14 have seizures. Confusion, decreased level of consciousness or coma may be present, as may neck stiffness and other signs of meningism.

Neck stiffness usually presents six hours after initial onset of SAH. Isolated dilation of a pupil and loss of the pupillary light reflex may reflect brain herniation as a result of rising intracranial pressure (pressure inside the skull). Intraocular hemorrhage (bleeding into the eyeball) may occur in response to the raised pressure: subhyaloid hemorrhage (bleeding under the hyaloid membrane, which envelops the vitreous body of the eye) and vitreous hemorrhage may be visible on fundoscopy. This is known as Terson syndrome (occurring in 3–13 percent of cases) and is more common in more severe SAH.

Oculomotor nerve abnormalities (affected eye looking downward and outward and inability to lift the eyelid on the same side) or (loss of movement) may indicate bleeding from the posterior communicating artery. Seizures are more common if the hemorrhage is from an aneurysm; it is otherwise difficult to predict the site and origin of the hemorrhage from the symptoms. SAH in a person known to have seizures is often diagnostic of a cerebral arteriovenous malformation.

The combination of intracerebral hemorrhage and raised intracranial pressure (if present) leads to a "sympathetic surge", i.e. over-activation of the sympathetic system. This is thought to occur through two mechanisms, a direct effect on the medulla that leads to activation of the descending sympathetic nervous system and a local release of inflammatory mediators that circulate to the peripheral circulation where they activate the sympathetic system. As a consequence of the sympathetic surge there is a sudden increase in blood pressure; mediated by increased contractility of the ventricle and increased vasoconstriction leading to increased systemic vascular resistance. The consequences of this sympathetic surge can be sudden, severe, and are frequently life-threatening. The high plasma concentrations of adrenaline also may cause cardiac arrhythmias (irregularities in the heart rate and rhythm), electrocardiographic changes (in 27 percent of cases) and cardiac arrest (in 3 percent of cases) may occur rapidly after the onset of hemorrhage. A further consequence of this process is neurogenic pulmonary edema where a process of increased pressure within the pulmonary circulation causes leaking of fluid from the pulmonary capillaries into the air spaces, the alveoli, of the lung.

Subarachnoid hemorrhage may also occur in people who have had a head injury. Symptoms may include headache, decreased level of consciousness and hemiparesis (weakness of one side of the body). SAH is a frequent occurrence in traumatic brain injury, and carries a poor prognosis if it is associated with deterioration in the level of consciousness.

While thunderclap headache is the characteristic symptom of subarachnoid hemorrhage, less than 10% of those with concerning symptoms have SAH on investigations. A number of other causes may need to be considered.

Subdural hematoma occurs when there is tearing of the bridging vein between the cerebral cortex and a draining venous sinus. At times they may be caused by arterial lacerations on the brain surface. Acute subdural hematomas are usually associated with cerebral cortex injury as well and hence the prognosis is not as good as extra dural hematomas. Clinical features depend on the site of injury and severity of injury. Patients may have a history of loss of consciousness but they recover and do not relapse. Clinical onset occurs over hours. A crescent shaped hemorrhage compressing the brain that does cross suture lines will be noted on CT of the head. Craniotomy and surgical evacuation is required if there is significant pressure effect on the brain.Complications include focal neurologic deficits depending on the site of hematoma and brain injury, increased intra cranial pressure leading to herniation of brain and ischemia due to reduced blood supply and seizures.

Symptoms of subdural hemorrhage have a slower onset than those of epidural hemorrhages because the lower pressure veins bleed more slowly than arteries. Therefore, signs and symptoms may show up in minutes, if not immediately but can be delayed as much as 2 weeks. If the bleeds are large enough to put pressure on the brain, signs of increased ICP (intracranial pressure) or damage to part of the brain will be present.

Other signs and symptoms of subdural hematoma can include any combination of the following:

- A history of recent head injury

- Loss of consciousness or fluctuating levels of consciousness

- Irritability

- Seizures

- Pain

- Numbness

- Headache (either constant or fluctuating)

- Dizziness

- Disorientation

- Amnesia

- Weakness or lethargy

- Nausea or vomiting

- Loss of appetite

- Personality changes

- Inability to speak or slurred speech

- Ataxia, or difficulty walking

- Loss of muscle control

- Altered breathing patterns

- Hearing loss or hearing ringing (tinnitus)

- Blurred Vision

- Deviated gaze, or abnormal movement of the eyes.

Epidural hematoma (EDH) is a rapidly accumulating hematoma between the dura mater and the cranium. These patients have a history of head trauma with loss of consciousness, then a lucid period, followed by loss of consciousness. Clinical onset occurs over minutes to hours. Many of these injuries are associated with lacerations of the middle meningeal artery. A "lenticular", or convex, lens-shaped extracerebral hemorrhage that does not cross suture lines will likely be visible on a CT scan of the head. Although death is a potential complication, the prognosis is good when this injury is recognized and treated.

Intraparenchymal hemorrhage (IPH) is one form of intracerebral bleeding in which there is bleeding within brain parenchyma. The other form is intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH).

Intraparenchymal hemorrhage accounts for approx. 8-13% of all strokes and results from a wide spectrum of disorders. It is more likely to result in death or major disability than ischemic stroke or subarachnoid hemorrhage, and therefore constitutes an immediate medical emergency. Intracerebral hemorrhages and accompanying edema may disrupt or compress adjacent brain tissue, leading to neurological dysfunction. Substantial displacement of brain parenchyma may cause elevation of intracranial pressure (ICP) and potentially fatal herniation syndromes.

Subdural hematomas are divided into acute, subacute, and chronic, depending on the speed of their onset. Acute subdural hematomas that are due to trauma are the most lethal of all head injuries and have a high mortality rate if they are not rapidly treated with surgical decompression.

Acute bleeds often develop after high speed acceleration or deceleration injuries and are increasingly severe with larger hematomas. They are most severe if associated with cerebral contusions. Though much faster than chronic subdural bleeds, acute subdural bleeding is usually venous and therefore slower than the typically arterial bleeding of an epidural hemorrhage. Acute subdural bleeds have a high mortality rate, higher even than epidural hematomas and diffuse brain injuries, because the force (acceleration/deceleration) required to cause them causes other severe injuries as well. The mortality rate associated with acute subdural hematoma is around 60 to 80%.

Chronic subdural bleeds develop over a period of days to weeks, often after minor head trauma, though such a cause is not identifiable in 50% of patients. They may not be discovered until they present clinically months or years after a head injury. The bleeding from a chronic bleed is slow, probably from repeated minor bleeds, and usually stops by itself. Since these bleeds progress slowly, they present the chance of being stopped before they cause significant damage. Small chronic subdural hematomas, those less than a centimeter wide, have much better outcomes than acute subdural bleeds: in one study, only 22% of patients with chronic subdural bleeds had outcomes worse than "good" or "complete recovery". Chronic subdural hematomas are common in the elderly.

Brain contusions and subarachnoid hemorrhages are commonly associated with IVH. The bleeding can involve the anterior communicating artery or the posterior communicating artery.

In both adults and infants, IVH can cause dangerous increases in ICP, damage to the brain tissue, and hydrocephalus.

Prognosis is also very poor when IVH results from intracerebral hemorrhage related to high blood pressure and is even worse when hydrocephalus follows. It can result in dangerous increases in ICP and can cause potentially fatal brain herniation. Even independently, IVH can cause morbidity and mortality. First, intraventricular blood can lead to a clot in the CSF conduits blocking its flow and leading to obstructive hydrocephalus which may quickly result in increased intracranial pressure and death. Second, the breakdown products from the blood clot may generate an inflammatory response that damages the arachnoid granulations, inhibiting the regular reabsorption of CSF and resulting in permanent communicating hydrocephalus.

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), also known as cerebral bleed, is a type of intracranial bleed that occurs within the brain tissue or ventricles. Symptoms can include headache, one-sided weakness, vomiting, seizures, decreased level of consciousness, and neck stiffness. Often symptoms get worse over time. Fever is also common. In many cases bleeding is present in both the brain tissue and the ventricles.

Causes include brain trauma, aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations, and brain tumors. The largest risk factors for spontaneous bleeding are high blood pressure and amyloidosis. Other risk factors include alcoholism, low cholesterol, blood thinners, and cocaine use. Diagnosis is typically by CT scan. Other conditions that may present similarly include ischemic stroke.

Treatment should typically be carried out in an intensive care unit. Guidelines recommended decreasing the blood pressure to a systolic of less than 140 mmHg. Blood thinners should be reversed if possible and blood sugar kept in the normal range. Surgery to place a ventricular drain may be used to treat hydrocephalus but corticosteroids should not be used. Surgery to remove the blood is useful in certain cases.

Cerebral bleeding affects about 2.5 per 10,000 people each year. It occurs more often in males and older people. About 44% of those affected die within a month. A good outcome occurs in about 20% of those affected. Strokes were first divided into their two major types, bleeding and insufficient blood flow, in 1823.

As only 10 percent of people admitted to the emergency department with a thunderclap headache are having an SAH, other possible causes are usually considered simultaneously, such as meningitis, migraine, and cerebral venous sinus thrombosis. Intracerebral hemorrhage, in which bleeding occurs within the brain itself, is twice as common as SAH and is often misdiagnosed as the latter. It is not unusual for SAH to be initially misdiagnosed as a migraine or tension headache, which can lead to a delay in obtaining a CT scan. In a 2004 study, this occurred in 12 percent of all cases and was more likely in people who had smaller hemorrhages and no impairment in their mental status. The delay in diagnosis led to a worse outcome. In some people, the headache resolves by itself, and no other symptoms are present. This type of headache is referred to as "sentinel headache", because it is presumed to result from a small leak (a "warning leak") from an aneurysm. A sentinel headache still warrants investigations with CT scan and lumbar puncture, as further bleeding may occur in the subsequent three weeks.

The initial steps for evaluating a person with a suspected subarachnoid hemorrhage are obtaining a medical history and performing a physical examination. The diagnosis cannot, however, be made on clinical grounds alone and in general medical imaging and possibly a lumbar puncture is required to confirm or exclude bleeding.

Epidural, subdural, and subarachnoid hemorrhages are extra-axial bleeds, occurring outside of the brain tissue, while intra-axial hemorrhages, including intraparenchymal and intraventricular hemorrhages, occur within it.

Epidural hematomas may present with a lucid period immediately following the trauma and a delay before symptoms become evident. After the epidural hematoma begins collecting, it starts to compress intracranial structures which may impinge on the CN III. This can be seen in the physical exam as a fixed and dilated pupil on the side of the injury. The eye will be positioned down and out, due to unopposed CN IV and CN VI innervation.

Other manifestations will include weakness of the extremities on the opposite side as the lesion (except in rare cases), due to compression of the crossed pyramid pathways, and a loss of visual field opposite to the side of the lesion, due to compression of the posterior cerebral artery on the side of the lesion.

The most feared event that takes place is tonsillar herniation which could result in respiratory arrest since the medullary structures are compromised. The trigeminal nerve (CN V) may be involved late in the process as the pons becomes compressed, but this is not a significant clinical presentation, since by that time the patient may already be dead. In the case of epidural hematoma in the posterior cranial fossa, the herniation is tonsillar and causes the Cushing's triad: hypertension, bradycardia, and irregular respiration.

Epidural bleeding is rapid because it is usually from arteries, which are high pressure. Epidural bleeds from arteries can grow until they reach their peak size at six to eight hours post injury, spilling from 25 to 75 cubic centimeters of blood into the intracranial space. As the hematoma expands, it strips the dura from the inside of the skull, causing an intense headache. Epidural bleeds can become large and raise intracranial pressure, causing the brain to shift, lose blood supply, or be crushed against the skull. Larger hematomas cause more damage. Epidural bleeds can quickly expand and compress the brain stem, causing unconsciousness, abnormal posturing, and abnormal pupil responses to light.

Four grades are distinguished (by imaging or histology):

- grade I - hemorrhage is confined to the germinal matrix

- grade II - intraventricular hemorrhage without ventricular dilatation

- grade III - intraventricular hemorrhage with ventricular dilatation

- grade IV - intraventricular rupture and hemorrhage into the surrounding white matter

First symptoms may be subtle such as mild pain, flank tenderness, haematuria. Depending on blood loss, symptoms of hypovolemic shock may develop. Hematoma is usually contained in the retroperitoneum, allowing for a period of haemodynamic stability. Sometimes massive acute hemorrhage is seen when a hematoma ruptures Gerota's fascia and extends into the peritoneum. An ultrasound or CT scan can establish diagnosis, while lab tests may be inconclusive as changes of haematocrit or haemoglobin are not specific to the syndrome, while haematuria is not always present.

Different causes may cause bleeding in different locations.

- Terson's syndrome (as a result of subarachnoid hemorrhage)

- Hemophilia (a severe bleeding disorder, usually hereditary)

- Anticoagulants and thrombolysis (medication to reduce blood clotting tendency or to disperse blood clots, respectively)

The primary symptom, hemorrhage, presents differently depending on the degree of injury, with the symptoms of major hemorrhage, shock, abdominal pain, and distention being clinically obvious. Minor hemorrhage often presents as upper left quadrant pain. Patients with unexplained left upper quadrant pain, particularly if there is evidence of hypovolemia or shock, are generally inquired regarding any recent trauma.

Intraocular hemorrhage (sometimes hemophthalmos or hemophthalmia) is bleeding (hemorrhage) into the eyeball ("oculus" in Latin. It may be the result of physical trauma (direct injury to the eye) or medical illness. Severe hemorrhage, particularly when leading to rising pressure inside the eye, may lead to blindness.

This may lead to various neurological sequelae including presentation with cerebral palsy, mental retardation and seizures.

Epidural hematoma is when bleeding occurs between the tough outer membrane covering the brain and the skull. Often there is loss of consciousness following a head injury, a brief regaining of consciousness, and then loss of consciousness again. Other symptoms may include headache, confusion, vomiting, and an inability to move parts of the body. Complications may include seizures.

The cause is typically head injury that results in a break of the temporal bone and bleeding from the middle meningeal artery. Occasionally it can occur as a result of a bleeding disorder or blood vessel malformation. Diagnosis is typically by a CT scan or MRI. When this condition occurs in the spine it is known as a spinal epidural hematoma.

Treatment in generally by urgent surgery in the form of a craniotomy or burr hole. Without treatment death typically results. The condition occurs in one to four percent of head injuries. Typically it occurs in young adults. Males are more often affected than females.

The primary concern in any splenic trauma is internal hemorrhage, though the exact amount of hemorrhage may be small or large, depending on the nature and degree of injury. Small or minor injuries often heal spontaneously, especially in children. Larger injuries hemorrhage extensively, often causing hemorrhagic shock. A splenic hematoma sometimes ruptures, usually in the first few days, although rupture can occur from hours to even months after injury.

Wunderlich syndrome is spontaneous, nontraumatic renal hemorrhage confined to the subcapsular and perirenal space. It may be the first manifestation of a renal angiomyolipoma (AML), or rupture of renal artery or intraparechymal aneurysm.

Symptoms often include:

- Seizures, especially in newborns

- Keeping one hand in a fist position, especially in infants

- Worsening or sudden headaches

- Sudden difficulty speaking, slurring of words or trouble understanding speech

- Hemiparesis, or a weakness on one side of the body

- Sudden loss of vision or abnormal eye movements

- Sudden loss of balance or trouble walking

A cerebral arteriovenous malformation (cerebral AVM, CAVM, cAVM) is an abnormal connection between the arteries and veins in the brain—specifically, an arteriovenous malformation in the cerebrum.

Thunderclap headaches can be caused by a number of primary conditions including:

- Subarachnoid hemorrhage (10–25% of all cases of thunderclap headache)

- Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis

- Cervical artery dissection

- Hypertensive emergency (severely raised blood pressure)

- Spontaneous intracranial hypotension (unexplained low cerebrospinal fluid pressure)

- Stroke (headache occurs in about 25% of strokes but usually not thunderclap character)

- Retroclival hematoma (hematoma behind the clivus in the skull, usually due to physical trauma but sometimes spontaneous)

- Pituitary apoplexy (infarction or hemorrhage of the pituitary gland)

- Colloid cyst of the third ventricle

- Meningitis (rarely features thunderclap headache)

- Reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (previously Call-Fleming syndrome, several subtypes)

- Primary cough headache, primary exertional headache, and primary sexual headache

- Primary thunderclap headache